


Coffee, Tea...

by edibleflowers



Category: Popslash
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-13
Updated: 2012-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/511048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edibleflowers/pseuds/edibleflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joey and Justin attempt an actual date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee, Tea...

**Author's Note:**

> stubbleglitter (maggie) asked me for Timbertone in a coffee shop. This is for her, for her birthday. The coffeehouse is based on an actual location (the Highland Coffee House, in Cincinnati).

Justin stops in the front door and then automatically steps inside, making way for whoever might be coming in behind him. It's a small place, set in an old building that he guesses used to be a house, but now the two-story structure's front windows are filled with plants, an antique and battered player piano sits in one corner, empty bird-cages depend cheerfully from the ceiling, and Christmas lights glimmer around the corners. It's a quirky little place, he thinks, and likes it immediately.

Joey is sitting in the back, and he looks up when Justin approaches, his broad grin warming Justin's heart. "You found it," he says.

"This place is great," Justin says as he slides into the chair opposite Joey. Their table is painted in a broad-stroked sunset scene, covered with clear plastic to protect the artist's work; Justin has already seen, from his brief trip through the coffeeshop, that every table is unique. Most of them are different sizes and heights. Justin picks up a menu and browses through it, raising an eyebrow at Joey for suggestions.

"You can get a beer," Joey says with a grin.

Justin rolls his eyes. "When in Rome," he says, and orders a cappucino from the waitress, who's wearing a dog collar and has a chain draped from her nose to ear. She doesn't recognize him, or if she does she doesn't show it, but she winks at Joey and says "usual?" and he nods, winking back at her.

Deprived of a menu to play with, Justin takes a packet of raw brown sugar and plays with it. Joey raises an eyebrow at him, and Justin feels himself color. He shouldn't be so nervous; it's just Joey. Sure, the environment is unfamiliar -- in more ways than one -- but Joey is more familiar than the back of his hand. He has absolutely no reason on earth to be nervous.

"Where did you find this place, anyway?" Justin asks, partially to break the silence and partially because he is genuinely curious.

"It's one of JC's," Joey says. Justin grins at that; JC is attracted to funky hole-in-the-wall joints like nobody else. "He bought me here three or four years ago, it's a nice place to sit and think and not get bothered."

Justin can see why; the place isn't that busy, though some college students are having an animated argument up front and he can hear a soft guitar strumming through the open doors leading to the back deck. He figures the lack of business is probably due to the fact that it's winter break, though, with most students home with families at this time of year. "I like it," he says. Joey looks up at him, his eyes warm, and Justin smiles and ducks his head. He's nervous. Goddammit.

The waiter returns with their drinks, setting a tall glass mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream before Joey and a large mug of cappucino in front of Justin. "You boys want anything to eat?" she drawls. Justin shakes his head; Joey does, too, after a moment, and she disappears again, smiling faintly.

"So, uh." Justin realizes he's tearing up a napkin and stops. He's soothed a little by the sound of Joey's shoe tapping against the table leg, but only a little.

"Kinda weird, huh?" Joey says, and Justin looks up, nodding, wipes some cappuccino foam off his lip. Joey smiles a little. "It doesn't. We don't have to do this."

"No, I want to." And Justin does; he was the one who suggested they actually go out on a date, after all. He wanted to show Joey he was capable of conversation, he wanted to prove he could do more than just have sex, which they've been doing for two months now without any kind of label. And Justin wants it to be more, wants that so much.

He looks down, forcing his hands to stillness. "It's just weird, trying to. I don't know. This is a whole different thing for us."

"We--" Joey chuckles suddenly and glances at the back wall, where a variety of books and papers are stacked up with board games and decks of cards. "There's Scrabble."

Justin snickers. "You hate Scrabble."

"Yeah, well." Joey grins, and his foot nudges Justin's under the table. "You could win and feel all superior."

Justin sticks his tongue out at Joey. "You don't give yourself enough credit." He hates that about Joey, that he puts himself down so readily. He's smarter than he gives himself credit for, smarter than really anyone gives him credit for, it's just that his smarts are all about people and knowing what makes them tick.

Joey shrugs, and his eyelashes flutter down over his cheeks as he sips at his chocolate, licking delicately at the whipped cream. Justin feels a strange and familiar buoyancy in his stomach, remembering what that tongue feels like on his skin.

"We don't have to talk," he hears himself whisper. Joey looks up with a knowing smile, an arched eyebrow.

"I wouldn't mind getting out of here," he says.

"Well," and Justin clears his throat, hastily drains his mug. "Why don't we?"

Joey pays, over Justin's insistence, and they head out to his car: "Kel dropped me off," Joey says, so Justin trips the alarm and gets in, watching Joey as he slides into the passenger seat. Before he starts the car, Joey rests a hand on his thigh, and Justin tilts his head to look at him.

"This was a good idea," Joey says, with a smile. "We'll have to try it again."

Justin's own smile is huge as he starts the car.


End file.
